...We, however, are not prisoners. No traps or snares are set about us, and there is nothing which should intimidate or worry us. We are set down in life as in the element to which we best correspond, and over and above this we have through thousands of years of accommodation become so like this life, that when we hold still we are, through a happy mimicry, scarcely to be distinguished from all that surrounds us. We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. Has it terrors, they are our terrors; has it abysses, those abuses belong to us; are dangers at hand, we must try to love them. And if only we arrange our life according to that principle which counsels us that we must always hold to the difficult, then that which now still seems to us the most alien will become what we most trust and find most faithful. How should we be able to forget those ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us. "
Wow Rilke. Wow. I feel you on so many levels, except...there are traps and snares. We just don't have to be taken in them. We don't have to let them destroy us.
"no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. " - Isaiah 54:17
I'm sick. I have a neurological problem, and I'm seeing doctors on a daily basis. It kind of sucks.
Note: weapons form. They form, but they will not prevail. I love that the impotence of weapons formed is the heritage of those who serve God. Well...that's me!
But...let's be serious about trials/tribulations. The danger in it is not the loss of life (which could very well occur), but rather the loss of faith (which I have decided WILL NOT occur). The danger isn't the loss of future opportunities, but the lessening of past accomplishments and progress made in the Lord. That's what I have to fight against.
One of my doctors said: "The optimist looks at this situation and says: Great! We've caught it early! The pessimist looks at this situation and says: 'What's next?!'" Tragically, I had said "what's next?!" just the day before while crying in my bed/talking to my mom. I'm not ashamed of the crying. Yo...crying happens. And, I'm kind of a crybaby. I readily admit it: I'm very emotional. And though, I'm not ashamed of the "what's next?!" I see that there is something faithless in it. Initially, I had a fearful expectation of more sadness, when I'm supposed to "glory in tribulation" and in ALL things, I must give thanks. So I thank God. I thank God for every single thing that's happening to me, because it works to HIS purpose. Everything is on God's time. And though I matter (I think I matter A LOT), ultimately all I want is for His will to be done in my life. And Rilke is right that we have to face dragons with the beauty of our faith, and the bravery that God has put in our hearts, because it is THERE.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Crying...that's of me. But fear...is from somewhere else, and it's not of God. What he has given me is a spirit of power. I don't have to buckle beneath fear. I don't even have to think about fear, though it creeps into my bedroom at night when I close my eyes. It's there, it's ready...but this is why I'm supposed to "pray without ceasing."
There are some parts of Rilke's work that I don't understand, but I think he's pointing out that we were created to interact with this earth. This world is kind of our element. We're a part of it. And all the things that are wrong with it...we created or brought upon ourselves (see Adam/Eve/Garden/Curse/etc.). I'm not sure that Rilke is a religious man, but I like his spirit of perseverance, of battling through circumstances, of relishing them. It makes me think of a certain scripture :
But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:8-10
Okay, I don't know why Rilke made me think of this. I no longer see the parallels, but it's like I might not see what God is doing, but He knows what I am doing/He knows where I am...and the test and the trials that come, they work toward my perfection. That's how I see it.
I want to write a funny blog. Maybe something about my family, because in the past 3 days since I received my diagnosis, I've laughed WAY more than I've cried. And they totally get the credit for that. Them, and Checkers. Maybe I'll write it later. Nothing but time on my hands.
The question I have regarding The Eighth Elegy relates to Rilke’s questioning of human consciousness as being less capable of experiencing Nature than a more primitive and base animal instinct. Although our analytical consciousness, which is form-giving and memory laden, may interfere with the direct experience of Nature, I am not quite sure what Rilke is driving at when he seems to here elevate the more simple form of consciousness found in the lower animal kingdom. I recognize that Rilke may not be imposing an absolute distinction between human and animal consciousness and that The Eighth Elegy may be a call to humanity to “simplify, simplify” (in the words of Thoreau) or embrace Wittgenstein’s precept of “don’t think, describe.” Considering that Rilke, like Blake before him, exalted the imagination and man’s inner life, it seems strange here that human consciousness would be questioned as potentially a delimiting factor in the experience of Nature. My questions aside, this is a wonderfully rich and provocative poem, thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteI think that he's driving at the propensity of the human consciousness towards fear and the need for predictability and control. I think he's focusing on that fact that our imagination and "inner life" have limitless potential, but we use it to limit our existence. It's deep. Animals rely on base instinct. If let go of our fears, and trusted ourselves, trusted our surroundings, we'd find ourselves outside in the open air, rather than in a very small room.
ReplyDeleteFlame, I noticed I hadn't been receiving lunch invites for the past couple of days, and now i know why. I just want you to know that i'm praying with you.
ReplyDelete